Advance Care Planning
As you navigate a life-limiting illness, it might become hard for you to make decisions about your health care. Advance care planning involves thinking and making choices now to guide your future health care. Advance care planning allows you to have conversations with those close to you, to make your plans and wishes known and to write down your preferences.
There are many ways of recording your health care choices in Queensland. It is important you find the form that is right for your needs. Your options are outlined here: My Care My Choices – advance care planning
Support for advance care planning in Metro North Health
Each hospital within Metro North has an Advanced Care Planning Facilitator who is available to support people navigate the advance care planning process. For more information on your local facilitator, contact the hospital closest to you: Advance Care Planning.
Financial considerations
A life-limiting illness can have a significant impact on you and/or your family’s financial situation, plans, and goals. Financial changes may include health related expenses; costs related to transport, accommodation, child-care and loss of income due to inability to work.
The Queensland Government provides information on what supports may be available to you, depending on your circumstances. They provide prompts on insurance, supports for managing the costs of medication, superannuation, transport assistance, cost of living relief, Australian Government supports and many other helpful topics.
Financial matters for carers
Caring for someone at the end of life can have a significant financial impact. Costs may include changes to your income whilst you care for someone, health care costs, costs of travelling to appointments, and funeral costs. CarerHelp outlines some of the types of payments and financial assistance available to carers, including information on specific financial considerations around end of life. Please visit CarerHelp to find more on Financial matters.
Financial support
Payments and allowances are available if you are sick and unable to work. Payments are also available to carers of people who are sick and unable to work. Eligibility and residency requirements apply. The Services Australia website provides information on what financial supports are available.
Wills
A will is an important legal document that sets out how you want to distribute your estate or personal assets after death. Your will can also provide instructions on funeral or memorial wishes, and guidance for care of children (if they are still young) and pets. It is important to plan ahead to make sure your wishes are carried out. If you die without a will, the law decides who will get your assets and this may not be who you wanted.
The Queensland Public Trustee provides helpful information about wills and why you should make one, including how to make one.
Top Tips
Don’t forget to let people know where your will is located.
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Legal Considerations
Power of Attorney
An enduring power of attorney (EPOA) allows you to appoint someone you trust to make decisions about your personal, health or financial matters. Having one gives you the peace of mind that things will be taken care of if you are not able to. When facing a life-limiting illness you may need support with paying bills, managing bank accounts and choices around medical and healthcare or living arrangements. It is up to you to decide who your attorney is and what decisions you would like them to make.
The Queensland Public Trustee provides helpful information about an EPOA, including who can be an attorney, how you can put an EPOA in place and important things to consider. Find out more on Powers of attorney.
Top tips
Don’t forget to let your attorney know the location of key personal documents including the location of your will; details of any mortgages; details of bank accounts; location of birth and marriage certificates; details of life and general insurance policies; details of superannuation; details of health and medical cover including your Medicare number.
Your send-off
Funeral or memorial planning
A fact of living with a life-limiting illness is that at some point it will be important to think about what happens when you die. The way we acknowledge the death of a person can look different between cultures and families.
One of the key considerations is funeral or memorial planning. It is a choice to have a funeral or memorial – there is no legal requirement to have a funeral or memorial in Australia.
If you do choose to have a funeral or memorial, pre-planning it when you are well can take some of the pressure off those left behind. Talking about what matters most to you with your family and supporters can reduce potential family conflicts and ensure your wishes are respected after you have died. You can also add instructions in your will about your funeral or memorial.
Some of the decisions you will need to consider include;
- whether you want a funeral or a memorial;
- whether you want to be buried or cremated (even if you choose not to have a funeral, you still need a burial or cremation);
- how to pay for the funeral and where to get assistance if your assets cannot cover the cost of the funeral.
Information about these matters can be found at:
Paying for your funeral in advance
Some people decide to pay for a funeral in advance, to take some of the financial pressure off their families. Fair Trading Queensland have developed a helpful 4-minute video outlining different options for paying in advance for funerals. The video also offer tips on how to avoid a funeral rip off.
Local funeral providers
There are several local funeral providers within the Metro North region that can support you through this process. This list has been compiled with the support of the Brisbane North Primary Healthcare Network and is provided as a guide only. Metro North Health does not guarantee or endorse the services provided by the listed companies, nor does Metro North Health receive any payment from these companies for inclusion on this list.
| Metro North Regions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Gow Funerals Brisbane Phone: 3851 7800 Deception Bay Phone: 3888 3535 |
Anton Brown Funerals Aspley Phone: 3863 4000 |
Cornerstone Funerals Redcliffe Phone: 3520 2444 |
Compassionate Funerals Brendale Phone: 3881 0795 |
| Dignified Cremations Deception Bay Phone: 1800 113 355 |
Heart Felt Funerals Deception Bay Phone0484 900 776 or 0419 774 222 |
Holy Cross Funerals Kippa-Ring Phone: 3293 0555 |
CHorizon Funerals Caboolture Phone 1800 355 830olumn 4 Value 2 |
| Just Cremate Me Caboolture/Redcliffe/Brisbane Phone: 3807 5230 |
Kenton Ross Funerals Kallangur Phone: 3285 5155 or 0403 382 469 Woodford Phone: 5496 1787 or 0403 382 469 |
Sovereign Funerals North Lakes Phone: 3204 4287 |
Traditional Funerals Redcliffe | Bribie Island | Burpengary Phone: 1800 672 331 |
| George Harnett Metropolitan Funerals Albany Creek Phone: 3325 5055 Aspley Phone: 3263 5044 Bribie Island Phone: 3469 5954 Kelvin Grove Phone: 3356 4277 Redcliffe Phone: 3284 5268 Sandgate Phone: 3869 3077 Taringa Phone: 3870 1044 |
K.M. Smith Funerals Arana Hills Phone: 3351 8244 Aspley Phone: 3263 2326 Bowen Hills Phone: 3252 2031 Kenmore Phone: 3144 1654 North Lakes Phone: 3886 3412 |
Simplicity Funerals Redcliffe Phone: 3112 7822 Kallangur Phone: 3465 8789 Kedron Phone: 3630 5022 |
White Lady Funerals Burpengary Phone: 3492 2773 Clayfield Phone: 3262 5005 Kelvin Grove Phone: 3356 1784 |
| Brisbane and surrounding areas | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Funerals Phone: 3261 8222 |
Bare Funerals and Cremations Phone: 1800 071 146 | Bayside Funeral Services Phone: 0487 197 367 |
Brisbane Funeral Care Phone: 1300 314 554 |
| Cremations Only Phone: 1300 311 747 |
Evermore Funerals Phone: 3544 6880 |
Golden Memories (Te Ahwina) Phone: 0431 616 875 |
Heaven Funerals Phone: 3152 8363 |
| John Oxley Funerals Phone: 1800 334 343 or 5463 4001 or 0400 596 713 |
MH Funerals Phone: 3273 1399 |
Newhaven Funerals Phone: 1800 644 524 |
Picaluna Phone: 3524 0788 |
| Value Cremations Phone: 3217 4543 |
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You can also visit the Australian Funeral Directors Association, established to enhance and promote professional funeral standards. Their website allows you to search for a funeral director; offers practical tips on arranging a funeral and links to other helpful resources.
Organ, tissue donation and body bequests
Organ and tissue donation
Organ and tissue donation is when you decide to give an organ and/or tissue to save or transform the life of someone else. Everyone over the age of 16 can register to donate their organs and tissues on the Australian Organ Donor Register. If you register to be an organ donor it is important to tell your family, you want to be a donor. When you die, organ and tissue donation will only go ahead with the support of your family. Medical teams will never proceed with donation if your family object. For more information on organ and tissue donation visit donatelife.
Body bequests
Some universities accept donations of human bodies to assist in providing education, training and research opportunities for staff and students in the health, medical and science disciplines. The gift of your body makes a real difference to medical training and the medical innovations that can improve the lives of patients. If you are interested in donating your body, it is important to discuss this with your family. You will also need to register your intention to donate your body in advance. Each of the following universities within the greater Brisbane area offer a body bequest program.
- QUT Body Bequest Program
- University of Queensland Body Donor Program
- Become a Donor – Griffith University
Digital legacy
In this digital age we live in, it is important that we also consider managing our digital legacy. We need to think about our digital assets such as access codes and passwords for financial accounts and utilities, along with digital accounts we might have on platforms like PayPal, Amazon, and eBay.
We also need to consider our digital presence through things like social media accounts, messages, emails and any photographs or videos you have shared. The Australian Government’s eSafety Commissioner has developed some resources to support people to plan ahead. What happens to your digital accounts after you die.